160 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 213. 



at the Royal Society stating that the boring into 

 the coral atoll of Funafuti had been discon- 

 tinued on reaching adepth of 1,114 feet. Cores 

 had been obtained, and the material traversed 

 is desciibed as 'coral reef rock. 



The English papers state that arrangements 

 are being made, under the direction of Signer 

 Marconi, at the South Foreland lighthouse and 

 on board the South Goodwin lightship for a 

 series of experiments in wireless telegraphy. 

 If the experiments are considered satisfactory, 

 it is stated that the wireless system will be 

 adopted forthwith as a means of communica- 

 tion between the South Foreland lighthouse and 

 the South Sands Head lightship. The points 

 of communication are about three miles apart. 



The British Medical Journal reports that M. 

 Cruppi recently laid before the French Cham- 

 ber of Deputies a bill for reforming medical ex- 

 pert evidence. M. Cruppi proposes that a list 

 of medical experts should be drawn up every 

 year. None hut men of undoubted scientific 

 ability should be on the list ; the accused person 

 should have the right to name his or her own 

 expert, who should work in cooperation with 

 the expert named by the Judge. In cases where 

 the two experts do not agree the matter should 

 be decided by a committee composed of emi- 

 ment scientific men. The Commission of Judi- 

 cial Reform is considering the question. 



Men of science will not be surprised to learn 

 that an examination of the late John W. 

 Keeley's exhibition room has brought to light 

 tubes and other arrangements by which com- 

 pressed air could have been used to run his 

 motor. Wheels went round without doing any 

 work and could have been readily turned by 

 compressed air or in other ways, in the exhibi- 

 tion made some years ago to the present writer. 

 It was at the time indicated that he would be 

 given $5,000 if he would state over his signa- 

 ture that the operations could not be accounted 

 for by known natural forces. 



It is stated in the daily papers that Mr. Elmer 

 Gates, Washington, wishes to form a commercial 

 company to obtain money to enable him to pro- 

 ceed with the invention of his microscope, 

 which he is said to say magnifies 3,000,000 di- 

 ameters. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 



We regret to learn that the California Courts 

 have decided that the trust clause in the will of 

 the late Adolph Sutro, giving Sutro Heights as 

 a public park to the city of San Francisco, and 

 San Miguel Ranch to support a scientific school, 

 is invalid, and the property will now go into 

 the residuary estate and be divided among six 

 children. Perhaps these children will set the 

 Courts an example by fulfilling the wishes of 

 their father. 



The late Miss Rebecca Flower Squiers, of 

 London, has bequeathed £2,000 for scholarships 

 for students at Oxford or Cambridge, and the 

 residue of her estate, the amount of which is 

 not stated, for the benefit of these universi- 

 ties. 



Professor Cleveland Abbe has given to 

 the Johns Hopkins University his valuable col- 

 lection of books, journals and pamphlets rela- 

 ting to meteorology. The library has also re- 

 ceived an anonymous gift of $5,000 for the pur- 

 chase of books. 



Rev. Dr. George E. Merrill, of Newton, 

 Mass., has accepted the call to the presidency 

 of Colgate University, Hamilton, N. Y. 



Professor J. B. Johnson, who holds the 

 the chair of engineering in Washington Uni- 

 versity, St. Louis, has been called to the Uni- 

 versity of Wisconsin, where he will be made 

 Dean of the College of Engineering. 



Mr. G. F. Stout, Anderson lecturer on com- 

 parative psychology at Aberdeen and formerly 

 lecturer on psychology at Cambridge, has been 

 appointed to the newly established Wilde lec- 

 tureship of mental philosophy at Oxford. 



The professorship of physics in the University 

 of Sydney, New South Wales, is vacant. In ac- 

 cordance with the British custom, applications 

 for the position, with eight copies of all testi- 

 monials, must be received not later than Febru- 

 ad'y 18th by Sir Daniel Cooper, acting agent- 

 general for New South Wales, 9 Victoria St., 

 London, S. W. The salary of the professorship 

 is £900 per annum, with a conditional pension of 

 £400. Candidates must be under 35 years of 

 age. We presume that citizens of the United 

 States are eligible. 



